State v. Grecinger
Minnesota Supreme Court
569 N.W.2d 189 (1997)
Barbara Skoglund initially told police her boyfriend, Leonard Grecinger (defendant), beat her, then recanted after reuniting with him and blamed unknown assailants, before changing her story again three years later out of fear he intended to kill her. At trial, the defense attacked Skoglund's shifting accounts and delay in pressing charges, and the prosecution's case included a psychologist's testimony describing symptoms consistent with battered-spouse syndrome, alongside friends' non-psychological explanations for her behavior. Grecinger was convicted of attempted murder and assault, and he appealed, arguing the expert testimony was erroneously admitted.
Whether the admissibility of expert testimony against a criminal defendant depends principally on its helpfulness to the jury in resolving factual questions.